‘Professional’ Dons back into eight
Essendon coach Brad Scott scoffed at any suggestions his team should have thumped West Coast by more than Saturday night’s 50-point margin declaring “every game is hard” for his work in progress outfit.
While the Bombers coach declared he won’t be watching the reply “for fun”, he believed his side did what it needed to labelled it a “professional performance” as they advanced to a 6-5 record and back into the top eight.
Scott said the club had no right to think it could turn up and play against the battling Eagles, who were coming off a 116-point thrashing the previous week, and run away with a massive victory.
“Let‘s be honest, we haven’t been the best team in the comp over the last 10 years,” he said. “So, I don‘t think anyone has the right to think they can just turn up and get the result. But not us. Every game is a hard game for us.
“When you see Shannon Hurn, Elliot Yeo and Tom Barrass come back into the side, there are just no surprises in the first quarter with their pressure.
“I thought they were excellent, West Coast, with their pressure on the ball and we were able to absorb that. I would have been more concerned today if we came out thinking we‘re going to try and take 150 points and just walk over a side that’s struggling just mainly due to injury.”
Last season, Essendon enjoyed a golden run between Round 14 and Round 20 when they lost only two games. One was to Collingwood, by four points; the other was to West Coast, by 10.
It was only one of two wins for the Eagles in 2022 and Scott was determined for it not to happen again. A Jake Waterman goal midway through the third term would have made him nervous, as the Eagles got back to within 21 points. But the home side kicked only one more goal for the game.
The Bombers added 5.7 in the same time.
“The Bombers came over here last year in similar circumstances around a similar time of year and, under players own admission thought it was going to happen,” Scott said. “You get what you deserve over time.”